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		Conservation Easements Conservation Easements   Definition   Evolution   Easements at the Conservancy   About Easements   Public Benefits   Private Land   Efficient & Effective   Facts vs. Fiction   Easements in Action   Easements Across Landscapes   Easements Across the U.S.   Easements for Landowners Contact Us

Conservation Easements

Conservation Easements Benefit the Public and the Environment

Public benefits of conservation easements:

• Protect water quality
• Conserve wildlife habitat
• Preserve open space
• Preserve farmland, ranchland, timberland
• Maintain character of rural communities
• Buffer public lands
• Maintain landscapes for tourism
• Require less in public services, generate more in local revenues
• Stretch public conservation dollars

Highlights of the Public Benefits of Conservation Easements

Conservation easements conserve watersheds and aquifers, helping ensure a clean supply of water for public use. In the Pawcatuck Borderlands between Connecticut and Rhode Island, for example, easements are in place to protect the water supply for millions of residents.

Conservation easements buffer Canyonlands, Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Glacier and other of our most treasured national parks and public lands. As “buffers,” easement lands keep development from pressing up against park borders and protect migratory corridors for elk, wolves, bears and other wide-ranging animals.

Conservation easements protect open space and enhance the quality of life in rapidly growing urban and suburban areas. Open space preserves scenic beauty and underpins quality tourism while giving local residents “breathing room.”

Conservation easements preserve agricultural lands, from family farms to ranches to timberlands. Easement lands on which use is restricted to agriculture often generate more in local revenues than they require in community services.

For More Information:

• Press Release: Conservancy's New York State Director Appointed to Commission Overseeing Quality of Land Conservation
  Henry Tepper, Director of The Nature Conservancy's New York Chapter, was recently appointed by the Land Trust Alliance to a new commission established to ensure the quality of land conservation.
• Press Release: Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Groups Urge Congress To Preserve Vital Conservation Tax Incentive Tool
  Two dozen leading national hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation and conservation groups have released a letter to Congress expressing their strong support for conservation tax incentives for conservation easements and highlighting the vital role easements play in virtually all outdoor recreation in the United States.
• Press Release: The Nature Conservancy Releases Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Conservation Easements
  The Nature Conservancy released a set of legislative proposals designed to strengthen the laws and regulations governing conservation easements and help end abuses of this critically important conservation tool.